Beyond the Sunlab

by Liza Yeager '17, Storyteller for Good

"In Zanzibar and across the developing world, we found that 70% of medical equipment on average in hospitals is broken."

MED International is a nonprofit organization that works to maximize healthcare potential in developing countries by building on what resource-poor hospitals already have lots of: broken medical equipment. Offering inventory management software and short engineering courses, the MED International team has worked primarily in Zanzibar to date. Founder Jayson Marwaha ’14 speaks about translating technological skills into meaningful overseas impact.

Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, where MED International does most of its work in Zanzibar. The hospital, which is the island's largest, struggles with lack of equipment, unreliable access to water, and frequent power outages.

A workshop for hospital technicians at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. Jayson says that although the broken medical equipment appears unsalvageable at first, most of the breakdown problems can be fixed with simple solutions.

Zanzibari hospital technicians working on the surgical light in an operating theater. MED International's 4-month course trains local employees to fix most hospital medical equipment without importing spare parts.

The team of hospital technicians Jayson worked with during his first summer in Zanzibar. In addition to offering the training course these workers took part in, MED International has created a software that helps hospitals inventory equipment and manage maintenance.

A rooftop view of Zanzibar City, where Mnazi Mmoja Hospital is located. MED International plans to expand to new sites soon, bringing tech-based solutions to resource poor hospitals around the world.

Shanav is the Founder of the Panika Project and a Social Innovation Fellow. His venture looks to create commercially viable products using hand-woven cloth from rural India, in an effort to lead the people of the Panika tribe to a future of self-sustenance.

Sujay and Tomoya are Social Innovation Fellows and the co-founders of MetaPlaneta. They believe that everyone, regardless of academic background, should have the opportunity to be involved in space development.

Erin Cohee is the Founder and Executive Director of The Uprising, an organization that designs interactive spaces, including galleries and festivals, which promote artists and businesses committed to social justice. Erin is also a Social Innovation Fellow and B-Lab participant.

What happens when the story you've been telling yourself about the future is replaced by the story of what actually will be?

Every summer, a group of students experience this shift as they launch ideas into the world with the Social Innovation Fellowship. This year's 11 Fellows from Brown and RISD will work full-time on their social ventures in 6 different countries, deeply immersing themselves in the opportunity to learn, take risks, and make change in the world.

As they set out for the summmer with hopes and plans of what their stories will be, we grabbed a moment with each of them to see where they're starting. Take a look.